Two Lives, One Shadow
by peacelovebethx
Summary: She's perfect and beautiful. He's.. anything but perfect. At least, that's the way it is until her world shatters, and she finds comfort in the darkest person she expected. She'll learn sometimes you have to fall into the darkness to truely find the light
1. Chapter 1

He was everything dark.

And everything doomed.

He'd never been happy a day in his life.

He had all the talent and none of the heart.

He was everything broken, everything beaten down, everything bad.

She was everything bright.

And everything perfect.

She'd never looked on the dark side.

She had all of the beauty and all of the heart.

She was everything loved, everything glossy, everything good.

One guy can change all that.

One moment can bring them to one another.

The question is…

How long can they last?


	2. Chapter 2: His Legacy

**A little about the legendary Troy Bolton. I know, swearing teachers, it's scary stuff. Just a background chapter to start off this story. Hope you like it. Lotta drama to come… ;-)**

* * *

He shuffled down the hall and everyone stayed out of his way. Just the way he liked it. Hood up, earphones in, baggy jeans, music turned up loud, he was untouchable.

"Troy, hey." said a guy on the basketball team, Jackson.

"Hey." He responded simply as he passed. A few other basketball players called out greetings as he walked through the halls. He always answered with a nod and a "hey".

He saw heads turn, the looks, heard the envious whispers and girlish giggles. His very presence had this effect on his peers. Everyone wondered, _What's Troy Bolton gonna do today?_

People hurried off to their classes just as the bell rang, but he maintained the same relaxed pace. Teachers glared when he wouldn't stop in the hall for the national anthem, the principal eyed him suspiciously. Despite this, he reached his first class earlier than he'd wanted to.

"Mr. Bolton, class started nearly 15 minutes ago. You're late!" the teacher, Mr. Horn, commented as he arrived. Troy shrugged casually and took his seat in the back row amid more whispers. "As much as I hate to disrupt the class again to reprimand you, Mr. Bolton, hoods are not allowed during class." The teacher sighed when Troy didn't respond. "Anyway," the teacher continued, "as I was saying, can anyone tell me author is trying to symbolize with the ocean in this chapter?" All the students shifted and suck lower in their seats. "Anyone? Okay, how about Miss Montez then?"

A girl in the third row sat up and answered, "I think that the ocean is supposed to symbolize power and change." Troy knew this girl, a Grade A popular. He spotted her at parties once or twice. Long legs, big smile.

"Can you elaborate?" the teacher prodded.

The girl sighed, "Um… Jack said that he envied the sea because it could shape mountains and change them in a way he never had the power to change the course of his life." She was a nerd, too, obviously. He couldn't remember what book they were reading. Something he'd already read.

"Can anyone, to prove they read the chapter, tell me why he wanted to change his life? Ah… perfect," he said eyes fixed on Troy, "Mr. Bolton?" God, this teacher always singled him out, "Did you read the chapter?"

"No." he answered coldly.

"Can you guess?"

He sighed. Fuck this. Fuck this teacher, "Because, it was shitty," he said angrily, "and when something's shitty, you want to change it…" The whole class turned around and stared. He had never talked in class.

"Good, Mr. Bolton, but I still need to see you after class." The teacher turned his gaze from Troy and continued to ramble on.

Troy simply turned his iPod up loud enough to drawn the teacher out for the next half hour. The bell rang and everyone filed out of the classroom loudly, everyone except for Troy. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He started to walk out until the teacher called him back, "Oh, Mr. Bolton, come back." He stopped and turned back to the teacher's desk. "I need to speak with you about your work." Troy stared at him blankly, "Your _schoolwork_, Mr. Bolton."

"Is there a problem?" Troy asked, bored.

"You know very well that there's a problem, Mr. Bolton. Your apparent lack of respect for academics, not to mention school policy, is disruptive to say the least.

"Disruptive, sir?" he repeated sweetly, just to piss off the teacher.

"God dammit, Bolton!" he teacher said furiously, "You're smart. Smart enough to not do shit and still pass my class. My question is why. Why do you put on this 'I could care less' persona?"

"Because, sir, none of it matters." With that, he walked out leaving a speechless Mr. Horn behind.

He was just one guy. One guy who didn't give a fuck about anything. He had no real friends. Not because he couldn't have them, but because he didn't _want _them. He got invited to a couple parties everyone weekend by one of the guys on the b-ball team. Always took a girl home. That was more than enough for him.

He just isolated himself. It didn't matter what he did. Everyone wanted to be him, anyway. Wanted his remarkable talent, his good looks, and his 'I don't need this' attitude. Why, you ask.

Because, truth is, no matter what, Troy Bolton was cooler than ice.


	3. Chapter 3: Tonight's Girl

**Never drink and drive, kids. Enjoy... =]**

* * *

**Friday Night**

He pulled on his signature hoodie and a pair of dark sunglasses. Tonight was the night.

His body tingled with anticipation. The parties, the alcohol, the girls. It was one of the few things he hadn't given up from his old life. It was something that he still craved: recklessness. He told himself that it was just for fun, but really it scared him to death. The fact that he missed anything from his past, a past he swore he'd never revisit, almost killed him. But, he did it anyway; it wasn't as though he had much to lose. Except maybe the person he had been striving to become over the last two years.

He grabbed his car keys off the table and headed out the door. Knowing that tonight he would have a guest, he glanced back at the tidied apartment before closing the door and locking it behind him.

**Gabriella**

She knew he had come. Everyone knew. As soon as he walked in, heads turned. He always looked the same: sporting a dark hoodie, dark glasses, and dark jeans. For a second, everyone stopped mid-party. _He _was here. Then her boyfriend, Joel, host of the party, moved from her side and walked to Troy. "Hey, man." Joel said casually, giving him a weird man-shake.

"Hey." He answered back, and the spell was broken. Everyone continued doing exactly what they had been, sneaking furtive glances at Troy as they did so.

"He's so hot…" whispered Tammy.

_And so overrated. _She thought. _He thinks he's so hot and super mysterious. He only thinks of which girl he's going to sleep with or which teacher he's going to piss off. Do you think anyone would invite him if it weren't for basketball? _"He only popular because of basketball, Tam." she said aloud.

"More like he's popular, because he doesn't care about being popular." disagreed Julie with a giggle, "He could eat shit and still get invited." _Julie's right, _she admitted grudgingly. The girls went back to giggling at some story about something that happened in Trig class.

Gabriella continued to watch Troy as he walked across to the bar and picked up a bottle. He poured most of its contents into a red cup. Then, he moved away from the bar and leaned against the wall. A few people greeted him as they passed, pausing only a few seconds to talk.

Gabriella tried to decide whether it was tragic or pathetic. He was the most popular guy in school, and no one knew him enough to even be able to talk to him. He put the cup to his lips and tipped his head back, drinking the alcohol in. Gabriella could have sworn she saw a look of peace cross over his face, as if he had been waiting for just one drink.

Just then, Joel appeared back at her side, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hey, babe." he whispered in her ear.

"Hey back." Gabriella said, tearing her eyes from a certain mysterious boy.

"Sorry 'bout that. Adam kept bugging me about our next game."

"It's okay. You're here now." Gabriella responded with a soft smile, placing a hand on the back of his neck.

He smiled back, leaning close, "Yes, I am. And, I'm all yours." Then, their lips met in a familiar, passionate kiss. For a moment, all thoughts of Troy Bolton were forgotten.

**Troy**

He leaned back casually against the wall, surveying the room full of tipsy teenagers. The alcohol burned less and less every time he drank. The details ran together after the fourth drink. God, he loved this.

Scanning the room, he spotted a tall blonde with red lipstick looking at him. This was the girl; he smiled widely at her, removing his sunglasses. The very action of smiling felt bizarre to him. Surprised, the girl smiled sexily back at him. Her friend whispered something in her ear, and they both broke out in giggles. She maneuvered her way across the crowded floor towards him, careful of her drink.

"Hi." she said very unselfconsciously once she reached his spot on the wall.

"Hi." he answered grinning even wider.

"I'm Brianna."

_Just have to hook her in_, he thought, "Yea, you're in my Brit Lit class, right? I've noticed you around before.

"You have?" she asked, her smile turning to one of surprise.

"Of course."

**Gabriella**

Gabriella swayed dangerously and steadied herself using Tammy arm. "Sorry." Gabriella told her, her apology sounding garbled.

Tammy just laughed, "Feeling a little dizzy there, Gabby. Where'd Joel go?"

"To get more drinks." She answered, her eyes catching sight of Troy Bolton once again. He was talking to some girl across the room. The girl was blond and curvy, wearing dark jeans and heels. Troy said something, a rare occurrence for him, and the girl laughed displaying red lips and white lips. He appeared to ask her something, leaning close, and she nodded with smile. He pushed off the wall and put an arm around her shoulder as they walked towards the door.

"Another conquer for Troy Bolton, huh?" said Tammy, nodding to the girl under his arm.

"Yea, there goes Troy Bolton's girl of the night." Gabriella answered, not taking her eyes off them. Just as they were walking out the door, Troy turned around and caught Gabriella watching him. His blue eyes met her gaze with an unreadable expression before disappearing out the door.


	4. Chapter 4: Happiness For One Night

"Shit." he fumbled as he inserted the keys into the lock and opened the door for a tipsy Brianna to go into his dim apartment and closing the door. He flipped on a light and led her farther into the room. Brianna stumbled, just as he knew she would, and he grabbed her by the waist, "Whoa, steady there." he said.

"Thanks." she said with a giggle, grabbing on to Troy's upper arm to keep from falling. Realizing how much they were touching, she looked up at him and blushed. His bright eyes traveled from her eyes to her red lips and quickly back up to her eyes. "Troy?" she asked.

"Yea?" he feigned a puzzled look already anticipating what she would say.

"Kiss me." With that, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers forcefully. She stumbled backwards and he placed his hand on the small of her back to balance her. The kiss depends and their breathing quickened. Her hands moved from his arms to the bottom of his sweatshirt, pushing it up over his stomach. The kiss was broken only so Troy could pull off his hoodie, throwing it across the room. There was a look of astonishment in her eyes: so few people had ever seen Troy's face without his hood or sunglasses. This only seemed to fuel her longing: she pressed her lips to his with passion. The kiss took him by surprise, and he pressed her back against the wall as he removed her top.

Intertwined and attached at the lips, they stumbled into the bedroom. Happiness for one night… even if tomorrow they can't remember who is lying next to them.

**The fourth drink instinct is taking over**

**And the gentleman is leading her towards the door…**

**He said it was a one night stand…**

**A one night stand…**

**He found that bed so easily**

**In the dark…**

-The Fourth Drink Instinct, Cute Is What We Aim For


	5. Chapter 5: Not For You

_ God, this teacher has it out for me!_

Funny how two people so different could be thinking the same thought at the same instant. Mr. Horn dimply smiled blankly at the shocked teens.

"Fine." muttered Gabriella, recovering before Troy.

"What?!" Troy turned to gape at the beautiful girl; he couldn't believe his ears.

"I said, 'Fine.'" she repeated, looking unfazed, even a little irritated, by Troy's deadly glare. With that, she turned on her heel and swiftly exited the deserted classroom.

"Are you _trying _to kill me?" Troy growled at the teacher who was now wearing a slightly smug expression, "You know I don't need help with English.

"No, I do not know that, Troy. Actually I generally find that a student with a 46% F _does _need help. And, until I see evidence that your grades and attitude are improving, I will require that you and Gabriella meet for tutoring twice a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each. No exceptions this time, Mr. Bolton. Not even for you."

Troy stormed out of the class and spotted Gabriella down the hallway, running after her. "Hey, Gabriella!"

She turned, wearing the same unamused expression as before, "Troy Bolton speaks." She stated sarcastically as he came to a stop in front of her.

"You really don't have to tutor me or whatever. I don't need help, okay?"

"Look," she told him, "I know you're used to people falling all over themselves to get close to you, but, believe it or not, I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for me. So, as long as this whole 'tutoring' thing looks good on my college applications, I really don't give a fuck what you do with the rest of your time. I'll see you Wednesday, 5 'o clock, your house."

"Wait!" he called as she began to walk away from once again, "How will you know where I live?"

She looked over her shoulder at him, "I think I can figure it out. Guess I could just ask some skank that you've taken home. Although, they probably would have been too distracted by your 'hot body' to even notice if you were taking them to your house or just a street corner."

He stood in awe long after she had disappeared from his sight. _No one _talked to him like that. No one _dared_ to even say the wrong thing to him. What made this girl think she was so special? It pissed him off like hell, and it intrigued him. What was with her? He'd never done anything to her. He hadn't even looked at her before Friday. Even then, she had been staring at _him_. Not the other way around. Guess he'd find out on Wednesday…


	6. Chapter 6: I Dare You

**Please give me feedback and suggestions because if you noticed by my sucky writing, I have minor writing block. Ii would be easier (and more fun for you guys) if I know what kind of stuff you want to see happen. I didn't do any planning before starting this, so you can say anything… really. It would make me super happy to hear your ideas and it would probably make me write the next chapter a lot faster, because I have no idea right now what I'm going to do for it. Enjoy and review with ideas, predictions, and suggestions. **

_**Chapter 6: Dare You Not to Love Me**_

He couldn't resist watching her as she searched through his small fridge.

"Want anything?" she asked as she grabbed a Red Bull.

"Nah." he responded. They had been doing this tutoring thing twice a week for two months already. He still didn't do a lot of the work, but his grade was improving a little bit. At least he got some of the homework done this way. And, even if she was the kind of unbearably perfect girl he hated talking to, she was a hot girl and she was in his apartment. She walked back over and sat across from him on the floor, "All you have in there is Red Bull and beer." She said as she opened the drink.

"I know." This was his golden opportunity to mess with her. For the past tow months they had done nothing but schoolwork and studying. Finally, she had taken a break. The only question is: what can he do to get in her head…

Gabriella took a sip, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. She looked at him with a curious look and it came to him. He took the can from her hand with a smirk and took a gulp.

"Thanks for asking." She muttered sarcastically.

When she turned away for a moment, he spilled the entire contents on his shirt, "Shit!" he cursed, jumping up. He looked at her, and she couldn't suppress her laughter, "You think this is funny, Montez?" he muttered as he went to his room and pulled out an identical t-shirt.

"Maybe a little." she giggled as he came back out with the dry shirt in his hand. She was standing up now and he stopped a few feet away from her. Smirking to himself, he slowly began to take off the wet shirt and dropped it to the ground. Grinning slightly he saw Gabriella looking at him with a stunned expression.

"Like what you see, Montez?" he asked, glancing at his muscular chest before smirking back up at her.

"No, actually I don't." she said, forcing herself to blink as he walked very close to her.

"Don't lie, Gabriella. You find me irresistible."

"Actually, I find you pretty resistible." she remarked as his body rubbed up to her.

"Fine, prove it." he told her with a devious smile, " I dare you to kiss me and not like it."

"Fine." she said, defiantly. She leaned up and pecked his lips quickly.

"No, not like that." He grabbed her as she began to move away, "That doesn't prove anything. I could kiss like that when I was eight," he slowly slid his hand down to her hips and pressed her curvy body to his bare chest, "You have to really _kiss _me. Like this."

Within seconds, he closed the distance between their lips and kissed her bottom lip sensually. Pulling back only a little, he trapped her lips in a fiery kiss. There was a small pressure against his lips and he intensified the kiss, deepening it. Soon, their lips were interlocked in a fierce battle. And, she was clearly loosing. Her hand tangled in his hair, his hands grasped her back.

Suddenly, the kiss was broken and cold air rushed between their bodies. She had realized what they were doing. "What the hell was that, Troy?" she screeched and backed away from him in anger.

"It takes two to kiss, Montez."

"You disgust me."

"That's not how you felt a second ago."

Her brown eyes narrowed furiously, "Just stay away from me, Bolton. I'm not just some slut, you can't control me."

He shrugged casually, "See you on Tuesday, Gabriella."


	7. Chapter 7: Damnation

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I tried to incorporate your requests as best I could. Thank you for everyone who gave me ideas. They helped me a lot. This chapter is a little continuing because I wanted to keep it mysterious. Still, I hope you like it and please review with more predictions, suggestions, criticism, words of wisdom, and of course, questions. Other than that… enjoy. ;)

The breath was taken from his chest, rendering him powerless to stop himself from moving forward. More than anything, he desperately wanted to save himself from the doom he knew was lurking around the corner. But, he couldn't. He was not in control of what happened here, and he could not change it. So, his body kept walking farther and farther, unsuspecting of the damnation that lay ahead.

Faces and bodies stood blurred in the shadows of the dank alley. One of them stepped into the light cast from a streetlight, revealing a horribly familiar face. His lips moved furiously and even though Troy could recite the words by memory, they all bled together into an angry purr of profanity and disbelieve.

For the briefest of moments the world went blurry and dark, then the details of the scene rearranged into the sharpest of pictures. Out of the shadows appeared another person, with a following of nameless others. _J.T. _

This particular figure walked towards Troy with a bone-chilling calm. The others wore menacing masks of hate on their features.

Suddenly, J.T. was fist with fist with Troy.

Again, J.T.'s lips moved rapidly, hate spilling from them faster than the speed of light.

Troy knew that there were other things but now all he could feel was the cold of metal against his palm. He was also vaguely aware that his friends stood behind him, in closed ranks, but none of that mattered anymore.

A fire clenched his heart, the furious hate overcoming his senses, and his body. The knife entered the other boy's chest with ease. Like stabbing a hole in a piece of paper with a ballpoint pen.

"No!" Troy screamed.

###

Suddenly the dark alley, the silent screams, the crimson pool gathering against a dirty sidewalk: it all disappeared.  
Troy sat up wildly in a tangle of sheets, a scream dying on his lips. The darkness blinded his eyes as he pulled himself from the bed and stumbled towards the bathroom with only the eerie cast of moonlight to guide him. Not a second after he pushed past the bathroom door and his hands found the outline of the toilet did the bile rise in his throat dangerously. Bending over the toilet, the entire content of his stomach was emptied violently into the water below. Finally, there was nothing left. His hands shakily flushed the toilet and his body sunk onto the floor as his back wearily rested against the side of the toilet. A cold sweat dripped from his forehead and he buried his head in his hands to keep them from shaking.

"No." he breathed desperately. It always came back to him. Nearly 3 years had gone by and that night still haunted him in his sleep. He had hoped that maybe the dreams were going away but that had been foolish. Sometimes it was the way the back alleys looked bathed in red and blue light. Sometimes it was simply the roar of sirens in his ears as he ran for his life. But, usually it was the way the blood looked against the white of the porcelain sink as he scrubbed it from his palms, his knife. Forever etched on the inside of his eyelids was the look on his mother's face when he showed up bloody and breathless at her door or the way her forehead wrinkled when she told him to never come back.

"Shh." He whispered, "It's over. Just a dream." But, it wasn't. That dream was the truth he had spent the last three trying to forget. The reason he was constantly chasing a lie. And, that night had never been over for him. There was no going back, no escaping the memories.

It seemed like forever passed in the time he sat slumped on the floor with the sound of his ragged heartbeat echoing in his ears. Finally, he braced himself against the toilet and pushed himself into a standing position. He took a step over to the sink and flicked on the faucet. The constant swish of the cold water calmed his nerves. Careful not to look in the mirror, he slapped the icy water against his face and brushed his teeth. Once before, he had made the mistake of glancing at his reflection after a night like this one. What he had seen scared him like nothing else.

He felt slightly better now and he had stopped shaking. His eyes had now adjusted to the darkness and his bare feet swished against the wood floor as he walked back to his bedroom. There was no going back to sleep tonight, he thought as he looked wistfully at the hopelessly tangled white sheets.

The clock on his nightstand read 1:08 A.M. in glowing red numbers, and his fingers searched for his phone for a minute before he found it. He flipped it open and it hummed to life. Sitting back on the bed, he found himself scrolling through the contacts screen until he got to the name "Gabriella Montez". Before he realized what his fingers were doing, he had typed the words "R u doing anything?" and pressed 'SEND'. The room was silent for a minute before the words "Message from Gabriella Montez" lit up his phone with her message written below, "No. Where r u?" Pressing reply, he typed one word "Home." And pressed "SEND" once again. Her reply came seconds later, "Meet me at the white house on 4th and Lex in 10". It took only two letters to answer her request: "OK".


	8. Chapter 8:Not like we're friends Swing

**Hope y'all like this chapter. I'm getting a lot of comments on this story so I'm guessing that means my writing isn't too horrible, right? This chapter, in my opinion, is only so-so, but I'd like to hear what you think about it. So, don't forget to leave your comments, suggestions, predictions, questions, etc. when you are done. **

Walking had been the right choice after all. The crisp air filled his lungs and cleared his head as he walked through the near deserted streets. House after house stood dark and still and only the call of an occasional night bird or the purr of a passing car pierced the calm of the night. It was just enough to loosen the dream bit by bit from his mind but it couldn't answer the question that was running through his head: why had he agreed to meet her and why had he texted her in the first place? It didn't matter he told himself as he pulled his hood up. Wasn't like he was missing out on a good night's sleep or anything. She was just a distraction for him, nothing more. One very attractive distraction…

Shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans, he walked a few streets over. As he neared 4th and Lex, the pulsing beat of music played way too loud disrupted the calm of night. He paused at the intersection to let a stray car pass, and it became impossible not to know which white house Gabriella had been referring to. Every light in the large house was on and the yellow glow from the windows spilled onto the black street. Also, though he was still a half block away, he could distinctly make out every word of the booming rap music playing inside. How could he have forgotten? Dan, a guy on the football team, had invited him to a party at his house on 4th and Lex. Troy had turned Dan down because if he started showing up to all the best parties, people would _expect _him to be at every party.

Troy walked the distance to the driveway and looked at the house. It looked even wilder now. He was really surprised none of the neighbors had called the cops already. Just standing in the driveway, the music pulsed through his body. Drunken teenagers spilled from the door and stumbled across the driveway. Now, he was really glad he hadn't come. Too much drama for the almighty Troy Bolton. All of his thoughts stopped as he saw Gabriella push her way through the doorway and make her way down the porch. She looked really good (link to outfit in profile) and surprisingly sober and she walked towards him with a soft smile. He walked towards her and they met in the middle of the busy driveway. A few curious partygoers turned and gawked at them, but most of them were to drunk or stoned to remember in two seconds anyway.

"Hey." Gabriella greeted him casually.

"Hey." he replied, with the same nonchalant tone in his voice.

Stealing one last glance at the raging house, she turned to him, "Let's get out of here."

He nodded and with that they turned around and walked down the driveway side by side, leaving the party and several shocked high schoolers in their wake. Without any idea where they were headed, they turned left at the driveway and walked several blocks in silence, the party music becoming fainter and fainter. The silence was fine with him; he wasn't exactly in a talking mood.

"Oh, look, a playground!" Troy was surprised when she broke the silence and looked up to see that across from them stood a small park with a children's play area. "Let's go." He just let her tug his arm until they reached the playground. Then, she let go of him and clambered, in 4-inch heels, up the monkey bars and began to swing across happily. He couldn't help smiling softly. Just being with her made the dream feel like… well, like a dream. It didn't feel like it mattered much. He looked around at the park, lit by streetlights. God, he hadn't been to the park since he was a kid. The swings, that was always his favorite, he remembered as he saw the black swings in the middle of the playground. Guess you're never too old, he thought as he walked over to the swings and sat down. It gave him a perfect view of Gabriella as she swung across the bars. He watched her stoically as she swung off them with an enthusiastic leap.

"Oh, I used to love the swings too." She said, once she had spotted him. Taking the swing next to him, she looked at him and laughed.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you ever not have a pair of sunglasses and a hood on?" she smiled jokingly.

"Yea."

"Oh, yea. When?" she responded, challengingly.

No one challenged Troy Bolton and got away with it.

He defiantly took the sunglasses from his face and pulled the hood of his black sweatshirt down. "Happy?"

She laughed again. Then, she glanced at his face for a moment before she slipped off her heels and kicked them into the sand. "There's something beautiful about being barefoot in the sand, don't you think?" she asked carelessly, burrowing her toes in the sand. She sat there for a while simply swaying back and forth, kicking up sand, and leaving her world of worries behind.

Meanwhile, Troy sat beside her motionless, trying to wrap his head around who she was, "I didn't exactly think I'd be forgiven for what happened the other day."

"I guess you aren't really. But, why should I have to forgive you? It's not like we're friends or anything. You don't care if you hurt me; you were just messing around." She said, swinging higher now.

Troy was surprised that her words caused his fists to clench involuntarily; she made him sound like a complete asshole. But, wasn't that what he wanted? "I didn't think that you'd be so—"

"Angry? Wouldn't be the first time… And, anyway," she continued, slowing her swing slightly, her tone becoming more serious, "when you texted me, it just felt different. If you had wanted some girl to mess with, you could have been at the party. But, you weren't. Plus, you don't just text someone at 1 A.M. for fun; you do it because you need something."

"Yea, I guess." He mumbled, looking out at the deserted street.

"And," she added, with a soft smile, catching his eye, "At least I know when you're manipulating me."

He felt like she expected him to laugh at this but he wasn't in the frame of mind for playful banter, "Who don't you know if they're manipulating you?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, no one." She answered. However, Troy noticed that the look on her face didn't exactly match the dismissive words, "it's just… you know how crazy those parties can get sometimes. I needed to get away from the insanity."

Troy nodded without thinking. He, of all people, understood the unquenchable desire to escape from reality. Living with it every day made it easy to forget that most people didn't consider the feeling normal.

"Why wasn't Troy Bolton, infamous party boy, not at the party, by the way?"

"I don't know." He answered, honestly, "I guess, I just wasn't in the mood to get totally shit-faced tonight." This made her laugh, "I figured I could get some sleep if I didn't go, not that that plan worked out too well for me."

She smiled at this, "I can't imagine Troy Bolton ever needing to sleep."

"Me neither." He answered, darkly.

Noticing the sinister tone, she tilted her head to look at his face. He too let his eyes sweep over her face, remembering to keep his expression neutral. As his vision was filled with her, he contemplated what he was feeling. Still, he couldn't identify the calm sensation spreading across his body. All he could think was that things would be all right if only he could make this moment with her last the rest of his life. She wasn't looking for anything more than what he was willing to give, and for once, being himself wasn't causing him to close up. It had been years since he had talked this much with anyone. But, the thing was, she was the only person that didn't need him to say a word.

Under the flickering glow of a streetlamp, she truly was perfect, and he was, for just a moment, the real Troy Bolton.


	9. Chapter 9: The End of Plain& Simple

**She's fresh to death,**

**She'll be the death of you,**

**Seduction leads to destruction. **

**She's fresh to death,**

**She'll be the death of me,**

**She's fresh but not so clean. **

**Cute face slim waist,**

**She's got em' in a craze, **

**Yeah I think he's going crazy.**

**When she speaks it makes me grind my teeth,**

**Yet he still thinks she's amazing.**

Few things had the power to surprise Troy anymore, and this situation was no different.

Unfortunately, some things still had the power to seriously piss him off, and this _was _one of those situations.

Troy Bolton had to make a conscious effort towards staying where he was. Which was difficult considering he very much wanted to pound Joel Kingmann's head into a pulp.

But, there he stood, motionless and tense while Joel was enjoying the company of a certain blonde, Sharpay Evans. Who, by the way, was currently "besties" with Joel's girlfriend.

**And she's been playing games,**

**Ever since 98', **

**Shallow is as shallow does,**

**Some people never change. **

Bastard. He couldn't help himself from thinking it.

She was sick: had been for a week, too sick to tutor him or to come to school. Was her boyfriend worried about her? Hell no. He was certainly glad that she wasn't here.

Damn it, he had known this. Joel Kingmann was an asshole. At least he had the decency to be upfront about being an ass, but Joel had no such decency. Why the hell would it bother him now? Troy Bolton knew why, and the 'why' scared him shitless. One Gabriella Montez.

Out of the corner of his dark blue eyes, Troy saw the blonde slut finally get off of Joel and walk down the hallway probably in the direction of a bedroom. He pushed off the wall and walked across the room, the crowd parting like the Red Sea to let him pass. Joel saw him coming, guys like him were always aware of the 'competition'. Like Troy had to work to be cooler than Joel Kingmann, yeah right.

Making it look like a casual pass-by, Troy went first to the alcohol sitting at the counter to Kingmann's left and filled up his cup with something that had a red label on it. Then, he settled himself leaned against the wall three feet away and took a calculated sip.

**And she's so fine, **

**She's thinks she's so damn fine. **

**She might be fine, **

**But she ain't worth a second of your time. **

Joel turned his head in Troy's direction, attempting- and failing- to look as calm and collected as the master himself, "Hey, man."

Troy nodded in greeting and took another sip. Luckily, Troy's deception skills were sharply honed to perfection. In the most off-handed tone, Troy said just loud enough to be heard despite the three-foot space, "She's not that good."

Joel's eyes widened slightly and his head turned now to look directly at Troy, "You mean Sharpay? You've tapped that?"

Troy nodded: this part at least was not a lie.

"Shoulda figured I guess. Mind if I find out for myself?"

Troy shrugged, "Free real estate, man. Just don't say I didn't tell you."

Joel grinned, pushed off the wall, and walked away in a pursuit of a girl that was not his.

_And, that was the end of clean and simple._

_ZVZVZVZV_

Gabriella Montez, master of one-liners and quick comebacks, was speechless. How had she not seen this earlier?

The images her eyes were glued to disgusted her. Yet, despite her revulsion, her fingers pressed the play button on her phone screen over and over again. Her boyfriend and her best friend, unbelievable. But, the sickest part was, she could believe it—did believe it. How had she been so freaking naïve, about everything… Joel, Sharpay, and especially the sender of the message. _I see everything, _the message read eerily, _now, so do you. _The identity of the cameraman was protected with the 'Private Sender' line, but Gabriella knew. Who else?

**You're as fake as the moans you make, **

**And you're as weak as the hearts you break. **

**You're as fake as the moans you make,**

**So just give us a little break.**

**Sex sells, **

**And your sex cells make all the lost boys drool. **

**Cause you're a dime, **

**But they'll have to wait in line,**

**Until one of them makes it two of you.**

Dizzy.

That's what she felt in the twenty minutes it took her to get out of bed, shower and dress in a purple top and pale jeans. No anger, not while she put on her makeup or slid on grey pumps, no anything, except dizzyness. In her mind, she was already at the party, already screaming, already ending three relationships. So, grabbing her keys and her phone, she ran out of her house, not even bothering to tell her sister she was leaving.

ZVZVZVZVZV

It looked like any other alcohol and drug-filled high school party she'd ever attended. Except, this wasn't. No one noticed her at first as she pushed past the door and looked around, searching the intoxicated crown. Pushing through the throngs of party goers, it wasn't until Gabriella had made it halfway to what she assumed to be the bedrooms that there was any audible reaction to her presence. At first, there was just one whisper, one drunken, 'Hey, isn't that Gabriella Montez? I thought she wasn't here. Oh, she's gonna be pissed." Then, the cacophony of voices began to quiet, and pushing against the crowd became easier. Still, there was too much noise to hear much of anything out of a foot range when someone pulled her roughly against the wall. And just like that she was faced with her least favorite person in the world.

"Troy, let me go." She warned as she stared into a pair of aviator glasses.

"You shouldn't go in there, I know what you're doing and I am saying don't."

"Oh, really? Now you're going to play Mr. Concerned. Well, King High Shit I wouldn't be here without you and your lovely little bit of cinematography. So, I'm pretty sure what I'm about to do is _exactly _what you want."

She pulled roughly out of his grasp and stormed towards the back hallway with more determination than before.

Funny, the rest of the night seemed at the time like one big blur, and it wasn't until later that she recalled all of the horrid details.

_**To be continued…**_

_**Song Used: The Way We Talk (Back Ted N-Ted Remix)- The Maine**_


End file.
